The Difference Between Feelers and Doers

Feelers take initiative. . .but typically it’s only when they feel like doing so. If something makes sense at the moment, is convenient, is justified, or is just easy, then they do it. If they don’t feel like doing something that will advance their goals, they won’t do it. If a feeler feels like exercising, they will. If they don’t like exercising, they won’t.

Even though it’s popular in our culture today, the truth is: Feeling-driven thinking is shallow thinking. The good news is, feeling-driven thinking is just an unproductive habit that can be changed!

Doers act their way into feeling. After determining what needs to be done based on their goals, doers take action. They just do it. Even if they don’t feel like taking action, they refuse to let their craving for short-term comfort divert them from their long-term goal and the blessings that go along with it.

So how do you become a doer? It’s simple: you make a deliberate decision to do so.

You can train yourself to live a life of action by shifting your thinking from short-term to long-term. This means you must consider the long-term ramifications of every action you take. Ask, “If this act were to turn into a habit for me, would that be in my best long-term interests?” If the answer is no, then don’t do it.

The quality of our decisions is determined by our perspective, or frame of reference. If our horizon is short, then we will suffer the negative consequences that correspond with short-term thinking. If our time horizon is long, then we will likely reap the effects of wise choices.